eclectic musings on Victorian Britain

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This is a 150 year old Victorian £1 note but it certainly is worth more than a quid!

In fact this is a Bolton Bank Note and sold for £900 at Spink the auctioneers in London. The note was produced when Bolton still printed its own money, I would like to print my own money but the cuffs would soon no doubt be chaffing my wrists!

However it was common for regional towns to have its own currency, Bolton being one of them but, it was only to be used locally.

The banknote proof shows the names Hardcastle, Cross, Ormrod, Barlow and Rushton, they were the five Bolton gentlemen who founded the Bolton Bank.

Barnaby Faull from the auctioneer Spink says he has only seen

‘three such proofs in the 25 years he has worked in the business and he has never seen an actual note. He also noted that it is ‘rare, and this is a rather nice looking one, which is rare in itself. “There are some of these about, but a lot of them are not in very good condition and this one is in excellent condition, which makes it very attractive’.

It appears that this note was never issued which explains the fantastic condition…

The Bolton Bank existed between 1818 and 1879, before becoming part of the Manchester and Salford Bank.